


through the fire and flames

by gamux



Category: The Yogscast
Genre: F/M, Implied Relationships, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-02-24
Packaged: 2018-03-14 21:10:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3425714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gamux/pseuds/gamux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The death of the old world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	through the fire and flames

A fireball whisked by his head but he payed it no mind, attention focused solely on the task at hand. A few more landed near his feet, kicking up dust with the small explosions they produced. He sighed, looking up, instantly spotting the two flying figures. Sjin and Lalna were at it again. Fire flew in every direction as they shot at each other. Rythian sneered in disgust at their gross misuse of the magic rings. He rolled his eyes as another spark of fire whizzed by. At least his house was fireproof.

Others weren't so lucky, it seemed. A few minutes later he noticed the pillar of smoke in the air. He shook his head. It was fine for them to have their petty little feud, but they seemed unperturbed by the damage their scuffles caused to everyone else. Especially since they started playing with fire. The wind changed to blow the smoke his way. He coughed and waved his arms to clear it. He turned to go back inside but paused, sniffing the air.

He recognized that smell. Memories of nights spent by a campfire with a bowl of warm mushroom stew cradled by cold hands flooded his mind.

That was the smell of mushrooms burning.

Zoeya.

He hurried to his potion storage, grabbed a handful of Fire Resistance and Instant Regeneration potions and headed for Zoeya's mushroom farm.

He hoped he wasn't too late.

When he arrived he immediately feared he was. Sjin and Lalna continued to wage war in the skies, oblivious to the chaos under their feet. Nearly anything and everything flammable had been set aflame. The worst fire raged at the mushroom farm.

He dropped a Fire Resistance potion, waited a few moments for it to take effect, then flew head first into the maelstrom of fire. His mask provided little protection against the thick smoke but it was better than nothing. He pulled it high over his face, squinting in the stinging haze for any sign of movement.

"Zoeya!" he shouted into the gloom.

He ran left and right in search of her, convinced he was running in circles. It was hard enough to distinguish a path without the place being on fire. Then he caught a glimpse of maroon to his left and swerved towards it, hoping it was her, hoping it was her cloak he'd seen. Hoping she was still alive.

She was lying face down in the dirt, curled up, one arm covering her face, the other holding her knees to her chest. His breath caught in his smoke-clogged throat, but he gave a sigh of relief when she moved. As he approached he realized the movement was caused by the choked sobs racking her weak frame.

He picked her up carefully, mindful of the possibility of broken bones, until she was standing at last, one arm slung over his shoulders for support. She didn't acknowledge him at, gazing at the burning ruins.

"My mushrooms..." she wheezed, coughing. Her eyes moved to him. "Rythian, we need to save my mushrooms..."

"We don't have time for that, Zoeya." he pressed an Instant Regeneration potion into her hands. "Here, drink this; we need to get out of here!"

She ignored him, dropping the potion and shuffling away from him. He groaned as the potion soaked into the ground. What a waste. Zoeya had knelt by a small patch of as-of-yet untouched brown mushrooms. She seemed to be talking to them, whispering and holding them as a mother would a child during a storm.

"Zoeya, please, come on-" he grabbed her arms.

"No!" she insisted, pulling free of his grip. "We need to save them! Sshh, it's alright George, I'm not shouting at you..."

Rythian massaged his temples in frustration, grabbing her again and forcibly yanking her to her feet.

"I'm sorry to do this but we have to go..."

"Please, let me save them!" she pleads, fists beating against his chest weakly. He realized with surprise that she was crying. "Can't you hear them, Rythian? They're screaming! They're in agony! They're in so much pain and I need to save them..."

Her knees gave out and she dropped to the ground, bringing Rythian down with her. She was a dead weight in his arms now. He tried to stand but failed, resigning to sit with her until the flames roasted them alive.

She continued to cry, her tears leaving streaks through the soot and dirt caked on her face. Rythian sighed and stroked her hair, holding one of her hands, trying desperately to calm her down. She got to her feet suddenly, wide-eyed, springing forward. She said something but it was lost as a fireball crashed into the stalk of a giant mushroom.

It creaked. It groaned. It tipped over and landed on Zoeya.

Rythian looked up. Lalna was nowhere to be seen, and the fireballs being launched from Sjin's magic ring were landing within the vicinity.

"Sjin!" he snarled, shaking with anger. He flew up to confront him but was caught in the crossfire of another round of fireballs. His upper body and shoulders were scorched. He guessed the potion had worn off. Losing his grip on consciousness, he fell from the sky. If he wasn't dead then, he surely was when he hit the ground.

/\/\/\/\/\

He woke with a start, lashing out, feeling his fists sink into soft earth. Breathing heavily he ran his fingers through his hair, and wondered about the fire.

Had it all been a dream?

He reached out and felt soil under his fingers again, digging through it until light spilled into the little hole he'd been trapped in. He stood near a surface lava lake on a section of land that was unfamiliar.

Death would explain how he ended up here.

He stretched his arms and felt a twinge of pain run across his shoulders like a jolt of electricity. He pulled the neck of his shirt down slightly and craned his head. Sure enough, there was a massive burn mark. He could feel a raw line on his back, where his spine cracked after hitting the ground. That would fade with time. He wasn't so sure about the burns. Tentatively he brushed a finger against his lips. That scar was still there.

Sjin had killed him. Sjin had killed Zoeya. Sjin had burnt her mushroom farm to the ground. Not to mention every second house in the area. Lalna, who was the lesser of two evils normally, had shown as little concern as he had.

He clenched his fists and growled. He was going to make them both pay.


End file.
